Hikkaduwa National Park – Sri Lanka is a marine park in the country that has beautiful fringing reefs of corals and a diverse assortment of sea life.
Location
The Hikkaduwa National Park – Sri Lanka is within the Galle District, about twenty kilometers off the northwestern coasts of Galle city.
Getting There
You can reach Galle via Colombo. There are train and bus services that have regular routes going to the city. The trip will take approximately two and one-half hours.
From Galle, you can either take a tuk-tuk or a bus to reach Hikkaduwa.
However, buses are the more comfortable means of reaching Hikkaduwa National Park – Sri Lanka.
What to See and Do
Snorkeling and diving are the most popular recreational activities around Hikkaduwa National Park – Sri Lanka. The marine park offers a diverse collection of sea creatures as well as beautiful fringing reefs of various corals.
There are about fifteen reefs as well as rock formations that you can dive down to in Hikkaduwa.
Apart from these, dive sites also include shipwrecks which number to about 17 in all.
After your snorkeling or diving expedition, you can also enjoy the white, sandy beaches around the marine park for quick dip or tanning by the shores.
Brief History
The Hikkaduwa National Park – Sri Lanka was first designated as a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1979, on the 18th of May. Almost a decade later, the wildlife sanctuary status was officially changed to nature reserve on the 14th of August in the year 1988.
With the growing number of divers visiting the nature reserve, much of the reef experienced heavy degradation. Owing to this fact, the reefs were designated as a national park on the 19th of September in the year 2002.
Cost
The cost to dive around Hikkaduwa National Park – Sri Lanka varies depending on the dive courses that you will be availing of as well as the number of days that you will be diving.
Basically, a one-day Discovery Dive is about US$60 per person. If you are an experienced diver, Open Water Diving is about US$320 per person, for a maximum of 4 days.
If you do not wish to take any of the courses but would simply like to dive, dive cost is generally around US$25 including equipment and US$20 excluding equipment.
Other Information
Diving season for Hikkaduwa National Park – Sri Lanka is from the months of November thru April. There are several dive operators located right in Hikkaduwa usually within close proximity to the beach.
